Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to connectors for fluid chromatography, such as liquid chromatography (LC) and gas chromatography (GC), particularly for the high performance regime, such as high pressure liquid chromatography—HPLC.
Description of the Related Art
Various design solutions for fluid connectors in general exist in the state of the art, a selection thereof being summarized in the following.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,437 A to Anderson describes a fitting connecting a tubing end to a fluid conducting member which has a fluid port and end walls surrounding the port. The fitting comprises a ferrule of resilient deformable material having a forward portion with a wide flat sealing surface which is adapted to mate with and sealingly engage the end wall surrounding the port.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,225 A to Higdon discloses a detachable column cartridge for a gas chromatograph. The cartridge column contains analytical and reference columns, a heater and a thermocouple, and connects via detachable connectors to a base unit containing an injector, a detector and other components normally found in gas chromatographs. The cartridge arrangement is stated to permit a substitute column to be connected to the base unit easily, in the field, when different gases are to be separated and analyzed.
The international application WO 97/45666 A1 illustrates a fitting assembly that comprises an insert.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,478 B1 to Benett et al. discloses a miniature connector for transmitting microliter quantities.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,501 B1 to Loy Jr. et al. shows a deformable bushing to seal tubing to a receiving body.
The U.S. Pat. No. 9,091,693 B2 to Hochgraeber et al. presents a plug unit for connecting a capillary tube to a bushing unit, the plug unit being characterized particularly through the rigid connection between a pressure piece, an annular sealing element and a plug capillary tube that is brought about in particular by cramping.
The European patent 1 457 775 B1 discloses a plastic hose with a tubular wall from polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), or polyether ether ketone ketone (PEEKK) and with a connector head for connecting the plastic hose to a connector head of a hose end, tube-end or similar device, wherein the connector head comprises an expansion of the wall of the plastic hose and the expansion consists likewise of PEEK, PAEK, or PEEKK, and further wherein the expansion is molded onto the outside of the wall.
In view of the above, there is still a need for improvement with connectors for fluid chromatography, such as liquid chromatography and gas chromatography. Objectives and achievements of the invention will readily suggest themselves to those of skill in the art upon reading the following disclosure.